Bag clip

ABSTRACT

A bag clip with an elongate extruded plastic member having a profile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facing edges of the the extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where at least one corner of one surface of the teardrop profile is flared outwards so that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into the bag clip without having to physically open the clip first. A preferred embodiment includes the extruded plastic member is made of ABS plastic.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of bag closures and morespecifically to a bag clip.

A common problem for purchasers of food products that come in flexiblebags is that once the bag is opened, it is sometimes difficult tore-close the bag in a relatively air tight manner so that any remainingfood items remain fresh.

A recent common way to hold bags closed is through the use of a springbiased clip where the gripping portion of the clip has been widened forthe purpose of sealing the top portion of a bag. The clips are made ofinjection molded plastic and are made in two halves and then pinnedtogether by a shaft at a central pivot point where a torsion springplaced on the shaft holds the clip in a normally closed position.

While the current bag clips are effective in holding a bag top in thefolded and closed position, there are deficiencies in the priortechnology.

First, the current spring biased clips tend to be bulky because theyneed to have spread apart compressible members that squeeze to cause theclip to open for use.Second, the clips are assembled from two injection molded plastic piecesas well as a shaft and a torsion spring. The molded pieces requireexpensive tooling and take time to mold and assemble making theresulting clip relatively expensive to manufacture.Third, the clips are injection molded to a specific width, so thatmaking clips of different widths requires expensive tooling for eachdesired width.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a bag clip forresealing opened bags such as chip bags.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealingbags that allows for easy bag insertion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealingbags that does not have to be physically opened by the user during theprocess of installation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealingbags that is inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip that can bemanufactured in different widths without requiring new tooling for eachnew desired width.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there isdisclosed bag clip comprising: an elongate extruded plastic memberhaving a profile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facingedges of the said extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where atleast one corner of one surface of said teardrop profile is flaredoutwards so that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into said bagclip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the invention mounted onto a plastic bag.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a person about to insert a folded baginto the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a person sliding the clip of the presentinvention onto a folded bag top.

FIG. 8 is a side section view of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side section view of an alternate version of the inventionhaving one flat wall.

FIG. 10 is a side section view of an alternate version of the inventionhaving two flat walls.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a front view of a plastic bag 2 whoseopened top 20 has been folded over and is being held shut in arelatively air tight manner by the bag clip of the present invention100. The clip is extruded from a resilient plastic such as ABS which hasa natural springiness. The resulting extruded shape resembles aninverted teardrop as shown in the section view, referenced by sectionline 30 in FIG. 5 and shown in FIG. 8. An alternate cross sectionalconfiguration can be seen in FIG. 9 where one side 32 of the invertedteardrop shape is flattened to make it easier to print graphics on theflattened side. Another version of the cross sectional configuration canbe triangular in shape as shown in FIG. 10 Where the side panels 34, 38and the top 36 panel are flat. However, the teardrop shape is preferredbecause the entire shape can perform more effectively as a spring.

The natural spring quality of the extruded ABS plastic allows the bottomedges 8, 6 to be sprung outwards to accommodate the thickness of thefolded bag top being held and to hold the bag top firmly closed. FIG. 2shows a bottom view of the invention 100. Here it can be seen that thecorners 4, 10 have been flared outwards to assist the user in sliding inthe folded bag top without having to use a second hand to physicallyopen the closed edges 6, 8 of the clip. In the present embodiment clipsurface 14 is flared out at the left side corner and clip surface 12 isflared out at the right side corner. Other embodiments can include onlyone corner flared out, or all corners flared out.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the flared portion 4 of surface 12.FIG. 4 shows a side view of the clip 100 and of flared portion 4. FIG. 5shows a front view of the clip 100 with flared portion 4 shown at theright hand corner. Because the clip 100 is made by an extrusion process,it can be manufactured to any desired length by a standard cross cuttingprocess. Once the clip is cut to length, it is put in a fixture to holdthe flare portion 4 in position until the plastic has cooled andhardened. There can also be smaller versions of the overall clip designof the present invention designed and manufactured to be used in placeof standard paperclips in office and home applications.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a user 22 about to slide the clip 100onto a folded bag top 20 as indicated by dotted arrow 24. If the userhad to perform the task of physically separating the bottom edges of theclip, the operation of inserting the bag top 20 into the clip 100 wouldbe made significantly more difficult because the user would have tospread the clip edges with one hand while holding the clip with theother hand, leaving no additional hands for holding onto the folded bag.Once the folded bag top 20 has been partially slid into the clip 100 asshown in FIG. 7, the user's hand 22 can grab the bag 2 on the left sideand easily slide the clip 100 on while holding the leading portion ofthe clip 100 with the other hand. Alternately, for heavier bags, theuser can simply hold the center portion of the bag and slide the clip100 on in one motion with the other hand.

Because the clip 100 is extruded, it can be cut to any length dependingon the size of the bag it is intended to be used on. The flared portionsof the clip 4, 10 can be bent just after the extrusion and cuttingprocess while the plastic is still warm enough to deform and be held inplace by a fixture designed for the purpose.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended tocover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

1. bag clip comprising: an elongate extruded plastic member having aprofile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facing edges of thesaid extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where at least onecorner of one surface of said teardrop profile clip is flared outwardsso that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into said bag clip. 2.Bag clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extruded plastic member ismade of ABS plastic.
 3. Bag clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidplastic member is manufactured by being extruded, cut to length and saidcorner surface is physically flared while said plastic is still warm andmalleable, and where said flared portion is held in place by a fixtureduring cooling of said plastic member.
 4. Bag clip as claimed in claim 1wherein said clip does not have to be physically opened by a user beforeinsertion of said folded bag top.